The Last Round
by ZenGwyn
Summary: Three years after Joe Miller is acquitted and banished from Broadchurch, Alec and Ellie must solve a series of sexual assaults, and race to save the life of someone dear to both of them. It'll challenge the strength of their friendship, and uncover secrets they've buried deep within. AU/Spoilers Ahoy Revised 4/19/17, Please enjoy the revision! TRIGGER WARNING! Sexual Assault, Rape
1. Chapter 1

She wades through the crowd following the perimeter around a massive bonfire, her bare feet caked with sand. She wavers with every step she takes, leading those present to look at her as if she's just drunk like everyone else. Everything is a blur to her eyes, a white tunnel of vision, faces barely coming into focus as she passes. Soon she is out of the light, far away from prying eyes. Just walk, she tells herself.

For all she can do, she reaches a makeshift campsite beneath an overhang in the cliffs. Clamoring to a little bench made from driftwood, feeling around in the darkness with her hands, she finds it's suitable and rests there. A moment, she tells herself between gasps for air, I'll only stay a moment. She slowly catches her breath, lungs on fire from running through bonfire smoke. The tunnel vision begins to darken, and she feels herself slip in and out of consciousness.

The first time she comes out of it, a sensation of sand filling the back of her dress dominates her senses.

The second time, she's cold, as if the wind is picking up. There's pressure on top of her, but she can't focus long enough to really see what's happening or open her eyes.

The final time, all she can see is a satisfied smile just before she hears a whispered, "Goodbye."

* * *

"There's no way in hell I'm letting you take this case, Alec." She knew using his first name would irritate him, and it worked. Alec's face slowly chameleons into the shade of beet innards. There's no point to argue anything when Ellie was in one of these moods, it'd be better to walk away.

Or not.

Miller!"

"Wanker!"

Alec rolled his eyes and dropped swiftly into the black armchair in the client waiting room, leaned back and, taking a long drink from the quickly cooling cup of black tea nestled between his fingertips, contemplated all the ways he could convince his business partner and best friend, Ellie Miller, to let him focus on this case alone for a little longer. Gears turn within his mind. I could always give her chocolate. Or chips? Make her take a few days off and send her on holiday?

Thoughts of Ellie in a bathing suit last summer when they took all the kids swimming drifted into his thoughts. **Stop it!** Can't let himself get distracted right now, he was on a mission.

Like opening the pages of Sherlock Holmes, Hardy reviewed the case file he committed to memory so long ago.

* * *

13 months ago, a young woman, aged seventeen, had been found by an off-duty detective and his daughter in a small cave near a popular makeshift campsite on the beach in Broadchurch, Dorset, the morning after a bonfire celebrating the end of school for many of the town's teenage inhabitants. Unconscious, bleeding from the face and head, her clothes in a shredded ball next to her, it was a surprise she was still alive as it was obvious she had been left for dead.

The detective removed his daughter safely away from the crime scene and called in. On-duty officers arrived, took statements, secured the scene.

Standard protocol.

Three months in, the victim was healed physically but still in a coma the doctors couldn't explain. No DNA could be found on her, or at the crime scene, traces of rohypnol were found in her system and witnesses only saw the girl stumbling through the crowd as if she were drunk. She'd been bound by the wrists and blindfolded

Nobody thought twice about it.

The detective who was responsible for saving her life dove into solving this crime, but the physical toll the stress took on his body combined with the strain between himself and his daughter, friends, and colleagues forced him to take an offer of early retirement.

That detective was Alec Hardy.

* * *

"You've got to be kiddin' me! I know I'll crack this one! I just need more time." Alec's monstrous growl, ringing through the small office space like a church bell, provided Ellie a smirk and a flashback to the time when she'd run from that raging bull of a man. When no snide retort was given, he mumbled, annoyed with the stupid but sort of adorable, look on Ellie's face, "An' less of you bustin' my balls."

"Oi! I heard that."

Of course Ellie took that moment to walk in from the break room, setting a mug and freshly warmed kettle upon the small table in front of him. Alec tensed, knowing he was going to get nothing out of her but a good bollocking.

"You've had a year to work on this one," Ellie's mum-voice became a line in the sand, "And we need to move on to other cases."

His grumbling drew a pointed glare.

"Look," Ellie reasoned, "I agreed to help you start this firm under one condition. You agreed to it. Now there's a pile of cases as high as my waist and I know you need the money." She artfully poured hot water into the two green mugs while digging through the endless stacks around the desks, unceremoniously dropping three directly in front of Alec without spilling a drop of water. "There, have a look at those."

The first file contained a missing person's report, Josie Mitchell, 25, suspected runaway from Winchester. After a few minutes with his nose buried in the file, Alec handed it over to Ellie, waving it in her face. "

Her boyfriend. Most likely kidnapping, but I'd like to talk to him first."

Ellie snatched the blue folder out of his hand and scowled as she glanced over the page Hardy had held it open to. "God, you're right."

Hardy's mouth slightly curved at the admission. Ellie dialed CID, relaying the pertinent information. Alec took the next few minutes to scan through the second file, sipping from his mug. He nearly leaped from his seat, dropping the mug and dumping it's contents across the wooden floor. He laid the file in front of Ellie and handed her a page. "This is too easy. The son is stealing his mother's government checks. For God's sake, Ellie, look at the number on that account. Are you daft?"

Ellie rolled her eyes. "Okay, genius, what's that one?"

Alec scanned the file quickly. He glanced at her over the top of the folder, refusing to hold back any drop of smugness as he answered, "It's the lease, Miller."

"Oh," Ellie snatched the file and bopped him on the head with it, "Nevermind."

She stood to replace the file to it's correct location inside the cabinet, and stretched, gazing at the clock on the wall. "Blimey, it's nearly lunch. I need to pick up Fred. Hungry? I'm buying."

Alec's laptop alarmed, announcing a new email. He stood to sit at his desk, turning the telly in the small waiting area to the local news station as he went. "Not chips."

Ellie grabbed her keys, "Obviously."

As Ellie stepped out of the office, Alec sat and opened the new email waiting on the screen. _No subject, anonymous user, it's probably junk_ , Alec thought to himself. But when it finally loaded, what Alec saw made his blood run ice cold.


	2. Chapter 2

In every situation in life, the possibility of things going from bad to worse exists. Sometimes it goes from bad to straight down the shitter. If it were lined with thumbtacks and barbed wire, it would come close to the porcelain throne Alec Hardy would, metaphorically speaking, be sitting upon at the moment.

He, most likely, wouldn't be yelling half as loud at the new(ish) DI of Broadchurch CID. "You are the biggest IDIOT in the entire police force, d'ya know that?"

"Mr. Hardy, you're not officially working with us, excluding your consulting contract. You're not privy to information regarding open cases," DI Craig Washbourne explained, his posh accent thick and condescending, "and, were you continue that contract, I suggest a little more professionalism in the future. Is that understood?"

Light reflecting off the smoked glass main office door moved just enough to momentarily catch Alec's attention. Ellie backed into the room, turning to reveal two cups from the cafe in a carrier held by one hand, a paper bag stuffed under the same arm, and little Fred eagerly hanging onto the other. Alec nodded hello. "Look, when you've pulled your head out of your arse, and the case has gone nowhere, you know who to call. If you're lucky, I won't have already solved it for you."

As he tapped End and tossed his phone onto his desk, the familiar rubbing of the bridge of his nose began. Stress reflexes can be therapeutic in times like this, can't they?

"I take it you saw the news, then?"

Alec snorted. "Always one for stating the obvious, you."

Ellie's eyes rolled pointedly in his direction. Alec shrugged and put up his hands in mock defense.

"Hardy, shut it. Sit down and eat, or Fred there'll do it for you."

Fred already had his hands in the bag, pulling out chips and stuffing them in his mouth while the two adults in the room weren't looking. At the mention of his name, he froze. All eyes on him, he shrunk back into Ellie's chair with a look of defeat. Ellie took the bag, emptied it's contents onto her desk, and passed Alec his salad and a fork.

"So, what did that wanker at CID tell you? Anything we can use?"

Alec shook his head, swallowing, and replied, "No, they won't say anything. Though I'm convinced this is connected to our cold case. Victim is similar age, looks a lot like the first victim, too. I'd like to see toxicology, but Washbourne won't let me have access to the file." He sighed, removed his glasses and rubbed his eyes with the back of one hand. Looking directly into Ellie's eyes, Alec leaned forward and added under his breath so Fred can't hear, "I'm convinced we have a serial rapist in Broadchurch. The last time it seemed amateur, but the location where she was found seems premeditated. A drop off point. I don't think the crime was actually committed there."

Ellie scoffed. "You can't know that just from what was released in that broadcast."

"I didnt come to any conclusions from the broadcast." Alec walked around the back of his desk, bowed forward, and typed on his keyboard. He straightened up, the look of dread evident in his eyes, and turned the laptop around so Ellie could read the screen.

It was a photograph of a young woman in her late teens, or early twenties, with wheat blonde hair matted with blood. Her face, black and blue, and her nose oozed. Her clothes ripped and breasts exposed, covered in deep cuts. The ground around her stained deep red from what Ellie could only guess was... Well, Ellie could guess, but she'd rather not think about it. Above the photo, Ellie read a single message left in the email. It sent a wave of chills that vibrated through her entire body.

 **LEFT THIS ONE FOR YOU.**

Ellie squeezed her eyes closed. _No._ She slammed down the screen of the laptop. _What the fuck is happening to this town? What is wrong with people?_ Now she and Alec were caught in some psycho's twisted game of cat and mouse.

She felt warmth on her shoulder and Ellie immediately relaxed, ignoring the slight butterfly flutter in her stomach at Alec's obviously platonic gesture of comfort. Without opening her eyes, and with as much vocal restraint as she could muster, Ellie asked, "You called this in?"

Alec grunted. Of course he would have called it in, he's not some bloody rookie. "That's why I wanted to speak with Washbourne, but I need to show you the rest of it, privately. The news came on and Jenkinson was issuing the press release. 'Sexual assault, victim in her late teens or early twenties, blonde hair, if the public has any information of suspicious activity seen between midnight and two this morning, call in.' Same as usual. Sent Washbourne this email and he essentially gave me a pat on the proverbial back, 'Oh, thanks a bunch for the information, I'll send a PC over to follow up.' Surprised he didn't accuse me of stealing case files again."

Ellie couldn't fight off the reflex to snort at any mention of Alec knowing anything about technology. The man barely learned how to use Facebook. Hack a secure server on a police network? Not a shot in hell.

"Glad I have your confidence." He grumbled as his hand slid off her shoulder, and passed the rest of his salad off to Fred, who's mumbled complaints of still being hungry hadn't fallen on deaf ears. Ellie shrugged and glanced into Alec's face. The lines seemed deeper, more worn than normal. He looked genuinely worried, much more than he would be if this were just about him.

She cocked her head to one side. "There's more you're not telling me."

Alec nodded, picked up the laptop and strode into the meeting room, motioning for Ellie to follow. "That's not the worst part, and that's not the most urgent reason I reported this. Come in here so wee Fred can't hear."

Ellie passed the threshold, and he closed the door behind her. He placed the device on the smooth wooden table, opening the top and scrolling down to reveal another photograph and an additional message, far below the first in the same email. Young woman, same age and basic look as the woman in the earlier photo. But something seemed so familiar. Ellie's eyes dropped to read the message underneath.

 **THIS ONE WILL BE MY PRIZE. YOU CAN'T STOP ME.**

Realization dawned. Ellie's hand jumped to cover her mouth, as if the words threatening to spill out would do so with the entire contents of her stomach. "It's Daisy, Hardy, he's going to take your daughter next." Ellie couldn't stop her eyes from welling up, couldn't blink the tears away or calm her panic.

"No," Alec barely breathed out, his voice wavering and so unbearably small, "I suspect he's already got hold of her."


	3. Chapter 3

"Fuck, Tess, answer your bloody phone!" When it rang off to voice mail for the tenth time in a row, Alec ended the call and slammed his hand against the steering wheel. He knew he was speeding, he knew he should be more careful, but fiery rage was building inside to compensate for his near-crippling fear. It pushed him to keep moving, keep driving to CID.

Once the car was safely parked and locked, Alec and Ellie practically ran up the steps and through the door. Thank God for small favours, the desk sergeant just waved them through. Once they reached Jenkinson's office, Alec didn't knock or announce himself. He simply burst into the room as if he owned it. Jenkinson, used to Hardy's lack of decorum, had expected nothing less upon his arrival.

She stood, waved them into the two seats facing her desk, and said as gently as possible, "Alec, I'm so sorry-"

"About what, your half-cocked DI taking a threat on my daughter like some bloody joke," he howled, refusing to sit, pacing back and forth across the width of the room. He stepped to the desk and placed his hands upon it, "or telling me that if I didn't calm down I'd lose my contract, which interestingly, isn't his call to make. Do you people make a habit of treating families like this now?"

Jenkinson patted the hand closest to her. Still as calming as she could manage, Jenkinson asked him to take the chair next to Ellie. "Please, sit. We need to do this properly. It'll go faster if you cooperate."

Alec dropped into the chair in a huff. Jenkinson leaned forward, handing Ellie a rectangular yellow envelope, and nodding for her to open it. "Ellie, I'm reinstating you. It's already been approved, consider this the promotion I owed you years ago."

Ellie pulled the new credentials from the envelope. She read her identification, "Detective Inspector? Does that mean I'm sharing the job with Washbourne?"

"Not exactly," Jenkinson explained, "You'll head up the investigation into this serial rapist, and you'll lead any sexual assault case until we find the person responsible. Anything related, you'll be in charge of. Once that's done, let's just say you'll be running things here, as it should be."

Ellie couldn't believe this, her mouth and brain wouldn't work together to form coherent phrases, "I, uh, I dunno what to say." She looked up at Jenkinson across from her and Hardy next to her, then back at Jenkinson. "What about Hardy? He's gonna be working on this, right? Professionally, we're a team." The little voice in the back of Ellie's mind awakens the notion that maybe thats not all she wants out of her old boss/current business partner.

"Well, officially you can't come back to the force, Mr. Hardy, but I'd like to utililize your contract on this. You'll report anything you find to Miller here. As of now, she's in charge of this investigation." Jenkinson turned to shake Hardy's hand, "Is this satisfactory?"

He took it, "It's a deal, ma'am."

"Good," Jenkinson stood to lead them to the door. "The spare office around the corner from the bullpen should suit your needs for now. If you need any more resources, let me know."

* * *

Tess Henchard stepped out of the courthouse breathing a little easier. Giving evidence was never easy, but in this case, it struck a very personal cord. The girl who was mugged reminded her so much of Daisy, and if they hadn't caught the bloke who'd done it, Daisy very well could have been his next target. She was so careless sometimes. Tess's phone finally finished turning on, and beeped immediately. 6 voice messages! She entered her code and listened.

 _FUCK, TESS WHERE ARE YOU? HAVE YOU SEEN DAISY TODAY? CALL ME AS SOON AS YOU GET THIS._

 **beeeep** *

 _DAMN IT ANSWER YOUR PHONE WOMAN, ITS AN EMERGENCY, CALL ME BACK_

 **beeeep** *

Tess didn't bother staying through for the last messages, she ended the call and dialed her ex-husband. It rang exactly once.

"WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?" he shouted into the phone.

Tess rolled her eyes. "Had to give evidence today. What's the emergency Alec?" _God, dealing with him is so exhausting._ Someone in the background was telling him to calm down and stop being such a knob. Ah, Ellie Miller. Tess would know that voice anywhere.

She could hear Alec take a breath and then with strained patience ask, "Tess, have you seen Daisy today?"

Tess rolled her eyes. "She left this morning to meet up with some friends at the cafe round the corner from the house. Said they were going shopping. Why?"

"Tess, Broadchurch CID has reason to believe she's in danger. A threat's been made." Alec tried to disguise his abject terror at the possibility of his little girl being a pervert's plaything. But Tess knew him too well, and heard the last few words catch in his throat. Her heart stopped.

She dropped to her knees on the concrete, only able to whisper, "What kind of threat, Alec?"

Alec took a long, calming breath. "It was an email containing a photograph of the victim of last night's assault, then further down, a photograph of Daisy taken without her knowledge, and a message saying that she is next."

Tears spilled from Tess's eyes. Through her sobs, she told Alec to try Daisy's phone.

"I did. No response. Sandbrook CID has been notified too. They're looking for her now."

Tess stumbled into the car park, unlocked her vehicle and dropped into the seat. Suddenly, her mind screamed at her to get her shit together. Tess breathed deep and forced herself to stop crying.

"Tess?"

Ellie had taken the phone from Alec, and in a soothing voice, she said, "Tess, I'm on lead. Don't worry, I'm going to do everything I can for you and Daisy. I promise."

Tess's barely audible, "Ok," would have to be sufficient enough of a response. She could barely think right now.

"Go home, Tess, Hardy and I will keep in touch. Have Dave come over, yeah? Just promise me you won't be alone."

Ellie wasn't exactly Tess's favourite person but she was right, Tess knew she needed to go home. Just in case Daisy made it back. "I promise, Ellie."

* * *

It was so dark. The pavement hurt her raw feet but she made herself continue the slow walk through the backstreets of Broadchurch. There was no time to find shoes when she escaped, just enough time once he'd left this evening to pry the bars she loosened from the window, remove the blindfold, and run. God, did she ever run. Once Trish knew she wasn't being followed, she moved within the shadows of the back streets until she found home. But after two days of mind-splitting paranoia and fear, she knew she had to report it. He'd come after her again.

Trish started the long trek five miles into Broadchurch to the police station, only to find the front desk empty.

After checking to make sure nobody followed her, Trish crept around the corner to the payphone she'd spotted on her way here. She tucked her body into the booth, and dialed in.

A few minutes following the call, an officer approached the phone booth. "Hello, there. Are you Trish? Do you need help?"

She nodded. She couldn't make herself speak, the fear and relief of safety overwhelmed her.

"Will you come out of the booth? Let's go into the station, get you warm. I'm PC Bob." He opened the door and held out his hand. Trish took it, and allowed him to lead her to the steps, but she was exhausted, and her body fought to keep her upright. Her emotions took over and Trish collapsed onto the steps.

"Can you go any further?"

Trish shook her head.

PC Bob sat down on the steps next to her. "Well, the DI will be here shortly. She's going to take you in to get medical help and have a chat. Is that alright?"

Trish nodded. Her mind was elsewhere.

Soon, a gently smiling face came into view. "Hi, Trish is it? My name's Ellie, I'm a detective with Wessex Police. You called about an attack? A sexual attack?"

Trish nodded. Something about the woman's voice soothed her, but Trish couldn't force the tears to stop. She didn't want them to, she'd buried herself so deep inside while he had her locked away, his personal toy, that now she was finally free and couldn't bury it any longer.

"Okay," Ellie continued, "we'd like to take you somewhere we can talk, it's just a short drive away, is that alright?"

Trish nodded again. Ellie held out her hand and helped Trish walk the few yards to a waiting car. As they approached, Ellie introduced a man holding the door open. "This is Alec. He's my colleague, we work together."

Trish couldn't pay much attention to the man explaining the cover on the seat, something about evidence on her clothes. Her mind was foggy, and so so tired. She sat and just stared off into space, oblivious to the door closing and the look of concern shared between the two people standing just outside the door.


	4. Chapter 4

Hours later, following the retreival of their latest victim's clothes and other evidence found on her body, Trish's doctor released her to return home if she felt safe, and although she wasn't sure if it was necessarily a good idea, Ellie and Alec both assured her that she would be alright. Once they arrived, Ellie had a chat with Trish in the sitting room. Alec wandered around the kitchen snooping. He noticed severe red flags everywhere he looked. Food sitting on a plate half-eaten and left next to the sink. A party from two days prior circled on the calendar. Unopened mail in a pile on the countertop reading "Patricia Winterman". Windows locked and secure. No, Trish was not here when the attack occurred, but she hadn't been home for at least a day, maybe a little longer. _Whoever hurt Trish kept her away someplace, either when the attack occurred, or after,_ he thought. Buzzing across the room immediately drew a look across the room and in two steps, Alec had their victim's cellphone in hand. 7 missed messages, 17 missed calls, 5 voicemails. Mostly from a woman called Cath.

He let himself wander into the bedroom, looking around for any sign of a struggle, of neglect, of anything. The bed hadn't been slept in, and a small pile of clothes littered the floor. Alec had to confirm that Trish was not home when the attack occurred, so he walked out the back to look at the house. He noted the garden door was locked, but anyone could look into the home from the back garden, despite the tall hedges on either side a small white gate was the only protection from an intruder. He could have been stalking her.

Banging on the glass window behind him caught Alec's attention. He turned to see Ellie with her arms up, clearly wanting to know what he was doing. He shrugged, and strolled back into the kitchen, hands in pockets.

Immediately, Ellie started in, "Every time! Make the tea first, then do your nosing around."

Alec poured the tea, "Surname's Winterman. Phone's over there," and pointed across the room where he picked up the phone earlier. "A number of texts and calls don't seem to have been checked." Ellie strode over to the phone and picked it up, looking through the missed calls and messages. He continued, "But the door and window locks are all secure. She's got a light sensor and a burglar alarm. I don't think she's at risk here."

Ellie put the phone down and turned to him, "What? Unless her attacker's got a key."

"Or he was stalking her first. Take a look at the calendar, just there."

Ellie turned round the corner and found the calendar. Cath's 50th was written in and circled for the previous Saturday. She gave Hardy a questioning look.

"If the injuries are two days old, takes you back to Saturday."

Ellie pointed to the calendar. "Her mate's 50th?"

"Yeah. Could explain why she's so reluctant to talk about it," Alec offered, picking up a cup and leading Ellie from the kitchen.

He placed the cup in front of Trish, who was curled into the corner of the sofa, panic alarm wrapped and dangling from her hand. She was gazing out the front window, off in her own mind. Alec cleared his throat, taking an armchair across from her. "Does anyone else have keys?"

"Erm," Trish pulled herself back from the darkness inside, pointing in the direction of her neighbour's home, "Annie, a neighbour two doors down…" She took a deep breath, resting her hand under her head, "Er… also Cath, my mate."

Hardy leaned forward in the chair. "We saw you had an invite to Cath's party last Saturday," he paused, reading Trish's reaction, "Did you go to that, Trish?"

Trish's eye grew to saucers and she glanced between Ellie and Alec. Then she nodded, so Alec pressed further, "Is that where the attack happened?"

Trish nodded.

"Was it during the party or after?"

Trish started to recoil.

"Was it someone at the party?"

Trish swallowed, hard. "Um, I was outside… and someone hit me on the back of the head, knocked me out."

They were finally getting somewhere. A little glimmer of hope crept into the back of Alec's mind… hope to find Daisy, and hope to lock the demented monster that started all this up for good. But he couldn't stop, he knew he needed just enough information to get a search going, something that would give them some kind of an idea of where to begin. "Cath's party was Saturday night. It's now Tuesday morning. So, what did you do… between Saturday night and reporting the attack last night?"

Trish's eyes glossed over, her brows stitched together in thought. "I woke up in a room. My hands were tied and it was dark. I could see shapes of others. I could hear them crying. My clothes were torn."

Ellie put a hand on Trish's shoulder. "Well," she started gently, "how did you get away?"

Trish stared at the wall, trying to work it out in her head. "I don't remember. But I found my way here. Home," she took a long shuddering breath, "I took off everything and left it on the floor in my room. Hid in my bed all day. I thought he would come back for me. And when night came, I went to the police."

"How did you get there, Trish?" Hardy asked.

"I walked," came the faint reply. "I left my shoes and I walked through the fields and alleys. So he wouldn't find me."

* * *

They were coming off 20 hours on shift, and had stopped only to pick up Ellie's boys from their grandfather as the morning took hold. Getting SOCO out to Axehampton House, showing them where possible scenes of crime occurred, and getting back to fill out the necessary papers felt like an eternity, and all Ellie wanted to do was go home, sleep off the last day or two. Maybe spend some time with her boys. Earlier there'd been an argument on police procedure regarding Ellie's phone call with Trish, and now Alec, growing more heated by the minute, wouldn't let it go. Ellie knew she shouldn't have given Trish her number, but the woman desperately needed a friend, and despite her surprise at immediately receiving a call once Alec and Ellie had headed to Axehampton, Ellie was confident her decision was the right one. _Who does that wanker think he is, telling me how to do my job?_

Ellie finally threw up her hands, "You know what? A little bedside manner never hurt a solitary case I've worked since you left, and just because you're back after two years without a single phone call or text doesn't give you the right to ride my arse! Try being nice occasionally, it'll get you a lot further than being such a knob."

"Miller, I get the job done. That's all that matters. I just need to find the connection and I can't do that by being nice."

Alec's car wound down the road to Ellie's house, the one she'd spent the last three years reconstructing to remove all traces of Joe's memory. The first time he saw it after returning to Broadchurch two years ago, he thought she'd demolished the old one and started anew. But the small front porch had been replaced by a large wrap-around with an awning. The bushes in front gone, and several terracotta planters filled to the brim with flowers spanning the entire rainbow took their place. The car port, gone, and a privacy fence installed with an automatic gate. Alec pressed the button on the device clamped to his visor, and the gate slid across.

As he brought the car to a stop in the drive and pressed the button again to close the gate, Alec spotted something… off. Ellie's front door ajar, the bottom right panel of glass shattered. "Ell, your door is open, don't you ever use the alarms?" Alec growled under his breath.

She leaned over, and quietly replied, "The alarm was on when I left. It was all locked up as well." Ellie glanced into the back seat, thankfully Fred and Tom still both sound asleep. Her heart thumped in her ears, but she knew the boys would be safe for a few minutes. "Let me out, Hardy."

"No," he replied, stoic and firm, "No way in hell I am letting you go alone."

Ellie rolled her eyes. Not a weak and feeble woman, thank you, she was more than capable to handle an intruder. "You call this in, I'm just checking around the outside of the house. I won't go in unless it's necessary. Alright?"

Alec nodded and they both exited the car, careful to not waken either boy. He followed Ellie as far as the corner and looked past the garage into the back garden, checked the south side of the house closest to the garage, and motioned it was clear. Ellie retrieved her canister of mace from her pocket and crept around the north side of the house. She nearly made it to the back garden when a shadow caught her totally off-guard.

"Oh, hi Ellie," a very startled Reverend Coates spat out, clutching his chest in shock. "Good, you're home."

"I was gonna mace you." Ellie stated matter-of-factly, dropping the canister into her coat pocket. "What are you doing creeping around my house?"

The Reverend followed Ellie back round the front, explaining, "I received a phone call and came right down from the church. Used your code to get through the gate and noticed the door was open. Thought I saw someone inside but I couldn't see anyone. Was checking the garden when I heard a car coming up the road. I was just headed round the front when you found me."

"You should have called me."

Coates shook his head, "This needs to be said in person, but I did phone in and report your house is broken into."

They approached Alec, who waved them over to a more secluded area. "So, Reverend, what are you doing up here this early?"

Paul cleared his throat. "Well, actually, Ellie, it's about Joe."

Ellie's heart dropped into her stomach, she began fidgeting with her coat. "What about Joe?"

"He's on the run. Got a call from my friend who's been keeping tabs on Joe, he says officers dropped in looking for him, but since Joe moved out of the halfway house and got his own apartment, he doesn't come by except for the weekly therapy sessions. When officers checked the apartment, it looked like Joe had only been gone for a day at most. They've got pretty compelling evidence that he was grooming a twelve-year-old, so they told my friend to report back if he shows."

Ellie had to lean on the fence to stay standing. _God, what else can go wrong this week?!_

Alec was off like a shot, barreling toward the house, ready to kill anyone he found inside. _If that son if a bitch is hiding in this house, I'll put him in an early grave myself_ , he decided. He used his elbow to put open the door, and glanced in the blind spots. Carefully he checked the kitchen, the sitting room, and the bedrooms upstairs. But as Alec approached the en suite, the light was on, and he could see deep red in the cracks around the door.

Using the sleeve of his jacket, Alec carefully turned the knob. Written in blood on the mirror, three words dropped Alec Hardy to his knees. He never thought he'd ever seek to find religion ever again, but these words gave him a reason.

 **DAISY IS MINE**

"Alec? What's wrong?" Ellie rushed up the steps and he, with every ounce of willpower he had, fought to stay angry.

Anger will get him through this and nothing else. He took her by the shoulders. "Ellie, you can't go in there. You're staying with me."

"What?" She wriggled out of his grasp. "That's my house, you can't tell me I can't go into my own house."

A little bit of that anger burning in Alec's chest turned into frustration, and he grabbed Ellie's arms, spitting, "We need to call SOCO, now! This is a crime scene, Miller!"

Her eyes grew to the size of saucers. "Is-" Ellie swallowed the lump in her throat, "Is it Joe?"

Alec softened, he couldn't let the rage boiling within spill into Ellie's world, not again. She cared about his daughter too, and none of this was her fault. There's just so much going wrong, and she was just trying to do her job. "Just call SOCO, please. And don't go in, let Washbourne or one of the DS's take care of this for now."

Ellie nodded uncomfortably. "Alright. But you have to tell me what's inside my house."

Alec's eyes locked with hers, and in the deep, gravel tone Ellie had only heard a few times before, he said, "It's another message. Written in blood."

* * *

Beth Latimer sighed as another call to her husband, Mark, went unanswered. In counseling, her therapist had said she needed to let go of the things she couldn't control, or it would drive her mad. Mark was definitely pushing her close to that line.

"Chloe!" Beth called as she grabbed her keys from the fob on the wall. "I'm heading to the shelter, you alright with Lizzie?"

Chloe stomped down the stairs, carrying her three-year-old sister on her hip. "Yes, mum, she's fine. We'll watch telly and have a walk later," Chloe tickled her sister's tummy, eliciting a giggle from the small child, "Won't that be fun, Liz?"

Beth kissed them both. "You be good, don't be gone long, and call when you leave the house."

In singsong, Chloe replied, "We will!"

The drive to the support centre seemed so much longer than it usually took, since an accident along her usual route had slowed traffic to a near-standstill. When Beth finally arrived, Rachel, the supervisor, was pacing a line in front of the doors. Beth jogged up to her, "Sorry, love, traffic was hell."

Rachel reached out and held Beth's arm. "The police came by, your friend, Ellie, with that private investigator, Hardy. They brought a woman in early this morning, looked like someone had been doing the rounds on her for days. She said her name's Trish. She was able to provide physical evidence, but her memory is a bit hazy. We assigned you as her ISVA." Rachel sighed, "They've taken her statement and delivered her home, but I'd like it if you try to reach out to her today. She's quite traumatized."

Beth nodded. "I'll try to have a chat with her."

* * *

It was mid-afternoon by the time SOCO finished taking evidence from Ellie's. Considering the sheer size of the crime scene involved at Axehampton House, the location where their latest victim, Trish, was raped, Ellie was surprised anyone made it to collect evidence for the crime scene at her home.

Ellie could feel the tension building as the cab parked in front of her home to collect overnight bags for herself and her boys. She took her keys and her car and made her way to Alec's two-bedroom house in town, right down the street from the Latimer's. _Thank God he took them to his place, God forbid they saw the mess in there._ At least SOCO Brian had the forethought to cover the blood with paper while Ellie was gathering bathing necessities from the shower.

The investigation into the break in, and Daisy Hardy's disappearance had yet to be proved related to the string of sexual assault cases Ellie was working on, so Jenkinson had given them over to Washbourne. Little did he know, Ellie was treating them as related, had been following up with leads over the past few hours on her own.

Daisy Hardy's friends did meet up with her at their favourite cafe, and then the girls spent an hour in Top Shop. They said their goodbyes, and the two friends, a pair of twins named Mary and Ruth, walked home. They'd seen Daisy leave in her car in the direction of her house.

So far, Sandbrook police hadn't found Daisy or the car. But when Tess arrived home following her chat with Ellie the previous day, she discovered Daisy's phone was lying on the stoop. The door was still locked and the house was otherwise empty and unchanged from that morning.

Now Washbourne had Daisy's phone with half the imprint of a finger, but no print, taken off it. Otherwise, the case had gone cold, up until this morning.

Ellie arrived at Alec's house just about supper time, carrying bags of Chinese takeout. She rang the bell, waiting nearly five minutes, but nobody answered the door. It was a good thing she'd kept Alec's spare key.

The house was dark save for a small lamp in the sitting room, so Ellie turned into the kitchen and deposited the bags on the counter. As she neared closer to the room, she could hear loud, uneven breathing over the children's show playing on telly. Ellie rounded the couch.

The butterflies from yesterday returned inside her stomach when she noticed big, gruff Alec Hardy stretched out on the sofa with little Fred sleeping on his chest. Ellie had to whip out her phone and take a photo. This was just too sweet. Ellie covered them with a blanket, kissing the top of her little boy's head.

For a moment she paused, realizing that her boys were happy and safe really because of only one man, who was doing his best to care for her children so she could find his. _With complete and total selflessness_ , she thought.

The idea made her smile, and this time, she didn't force the butterflies away, simply enjoyed the feeling that maybe Alec Hardy was a lot more remarkable than she ever gave him credit for. _Maybe_ , she thought, _I'll stop feeling guilty. Maybe I need to stop pushing him away._

Ellie bent down over Alec's face and left a soft, chaste kiss at the top of his forehead near the hairline. She turned and left the room, determined to make sure Tom hadn't hidden himself away with Daisy's PlayStation upstairs.

She didn't see Alec Hardy open one eye, watching her leave with a sleepy grin.


	5. Chapter 5

Ellie and Tom had devoured half the Chinese takeaway when Fred ran up and vaulted himself at Ellie's legs. "Hi Mum!" He shouted as he hugged his mum around her knees. Ellie rubbed his back and seeing movement, considered the doorway where a very rumpled Alec Hardy stood, rubbing his eyes.

"Want some tea?" Ellie asked, taking a mug from the cupboard.

"Aye."

She poured his cup and dipped the bag in, then handed it to him. Alec, groggy and not quite awake could only muster, "Ta."

Ellie's eyebrow raised high, and a slight chuckle skimmed her lips. "My," she teased, "you're grumpy when you wake up. Have a nice nap?"

Tom, from over in the corner, not even lifting his eyes from his phone threw in, "He's always a grump. This isn't any different."

Ellie burst out in laughter at Alec's dropped jaw, taking a few seconds to reply, "Hey, I let you take over Daisy's room."

Tom shrugged and headed for the stairs to return to the PlayStation, calling behind him, "Tell her I said she needs better games!"

Alec turned white as a sheet. Ellie, realizing Hardy was on the verge of a full meltdown, picked Fred up, set him in a chair and placed a plate of food in front of him. "Be good for a minute Fred, I need to talk with Uncle Alec."

Ellie dragged Alec into the hall and rested her hands on his upper arms, rubbing soothing circles with her thumbs. "We will find her, alive. Just focus on the case."

Alec shook his head and finally, after two days of bottling all of it up, released the sorrow he'd been pushing back. His breathing laboured and he grabbed Ellie into a tight hug, not even giving her the option to protest. Sure, this wasn't Ellie's ideal scenario for their first semi-intimate encounter, if it could even be called that. But he needed it, and she wasn't going to push him away. Ellie needed it a little as well.

Alec's forehead dropped onto Ellie's shoulder. "I've failed her," he sobbed, "I've put my own child in the middle of this, and I don't know how to stop it. I hate waiting for the shoe to drop."

Ellie reached up and let her hand fall to the back of his head, running her fingers through his hair. "Shh, it's going to be alright. That's it, just let it out."

Right now, consoling her best friend, and father of a missing girl, would be her entire focus. Ellie loved Daisy like her own, especially since they'd grown so close after Alec's surgery. _That was so long ago,_ Ellie thought, _and that child was the best thing Alec Hardy had ever contributed to this world._

Alec stepped back after a few minutes and wiped his eyes, "Thanks, Ell."

She half-smiled. "What are friends for?"

He sniffed and breathed deep, "All soppy, me."

"Nah," Ellie replied, nudging his arm with her shoulder, "Not soppy."

Alec rolled his eyes, but the ends of his mouth curved up. Just a little. "Shall we, uh, check on wee Fred?"

"Yep," she agreed, "he's too quiet in there with all that food."

Alec had to give it Ellie, when she was right, she was right. Fred had dumped an entire carton of rice onto the table, and was wearing the paper box as a hat. Furthermore, he'd pulled one of the plastic skewers from the popcorn shrimp and was swinging it around like a sword, standing on his chair. "Blackbeard, you'll never get me!" Fred bellowed in his best pirate voice when he spotted Alec entering the kitchen. "I'll send you to Davey Jones locker!"

"Oh, ye will, will ye?" Alec countered, playing along, grabbing a skewer himself and helping Fred down from his perch. "Avast! Off to the bath, ye land lubber!"

Fred pulled the carton from his head and wiped the rice out of his hair. "Aww," he whinged, looking at his mother, "Can't we play?"

Ellie knelt to Fred's level. "Freddie, let's get you cleaned up, then if Uncle Alec says it's all right, you can watch his Pirates DVD before bed."

Fred grabbed a hold of Alec's legs and begged, "The one with Captain Jack? Please?"

Alec pretended to consider it. "Fine. But you hurry up and wash behind those ears."

Fred grabbed his mother's hand and dragged her off.

Alec sighed. Finally, he was alone for a few minutes to process... Everything. The sinking feeling in his gut just got stronger and time seemed to pass so slowly. It felt like nothing had gotten done, even though every time Ellie had news she rang. In an official capacity, Alec couldn't touch this, not anymore, but there were perks to being a privately hired detective.

He could go places and do things that Ellie couldn't.

* * *

 _Her touch, cool and tingly, ran lines up and down his arms. He drank in the sight of her, naked and glowing, gently smiling up at him. He memorized every inch of her face, absorbing it, and found himself lost in the chocolate dream that is her eyes. She reached up, fitted his face between her hands, and pulled him down, connecting their mouths. Their tongues danced slowly at first, easy and comfortable, as if they'd always connected this way. He could feel the heat of her desire in anticipation of his entry, and he teased that slick wet spot with slow pressure, gliding over it as he moved his hips back and forth. Breathing harder, she begged him to take her. To let her feel him deep inside. With a sly smile on his lips, he plunges deep. The feeling shattered everything he thought this moment could be. He guides himself in and out, letting the pressure build. She called his name between moans, and just as he reached the moment of climax, he realized she's screaming his name._

"Wake UP, you stupid wanker!"

Ellie stood next to his bed, shaking him violently.

"I'm up, I'm up," Alec mumbled into his pillow. The unceasing assault to his half-asleep mind drives a reaction to her that Alec hadn't anticipated. "I'm awake, woman!" Alec shouted as he forced himself onto his elbows.

Hands on hips, Ellie scoffed. "Well, you could have fooled me. I just got a call, Trish's daughter has some additional information for us."

Alec squinted at her. In the dim light from the hall, he could make out the more prominent worry lines etched in her face and her deep scowl. "What time is it?" he glanced at the digital alarm clock, "Lord, three in the morning? Can't you just fill me in in the morning?"

Ellie's face and hands dropped, and she immediately crossed her arms, mumbling something Alec couldn't understand. He sat up, his brow furrowed and mouth a set line. "I'm sorry, I didn't catch that."

"Trish received some disturbing text messages."

Alec was already out of bed, pyjama bottoms clinging to his hips and bare chest in full view (to the secret voice in Ellie's mind's delight), sorting through suits in his closet. How he could tell the difference, Ellie'd never know. She just realized she was staring when Alec gave her a withering look and blustered "Well, go call your sister, get changed. We don't have time to piss about!"

Ellie couldn't get her brain and legs to work at the same time, or really say anything, and before she knew it Alec had pulled her into the hall and closed the door on his way back in. She took a very deep, calming breath, and let it out slowly. Her heart nearly exploded and her mind had momentarily gone to the land of "Naked Hardy" again, like it had earlier in her dreams. I really need to get my shit together, she thought.

As soon as the physical barrier between them had been established, Alec turned and sank down to the carpet against the door. _I'm only having dreams like that because she's a comfort, he told himself. She's my friend, not my lover, not my wife. I need to think about Daisy now, stop getting so bloody distracted._ But the little voice in the back of his mind pointed out how Ellie was looking at his half-dressed body. And how much he enjoyed it.


	6. Chapter 6

By the time Lucy arrived, the sun began it's ritualistic rise. Tendrils of pink and orange reached across the morning sky in a greeting Ellie longed to feel, warmth. Constant warmth that filled her entire soul, breaking through her pores and spreading to all those she loved. But it had been ages since Joe's betrayal, and in that time, she'd started to sort of feel it again. That is, until that bastard reared his ugly head. It seemed like he was in every bloke Ellie saw, every face that passed in a blur on the high street. She could swear she saw him standing on a street corner three blocks from Hardy's house. At second glance, no one was there. Ellie forced herself to shove it down, bury it, as she parked the car in front of Trish Winterman's house.

"She's waiting," Trish's daughter told them once they reached the door, and pointed through the sitting room out into the garden.

Hardy and Miller took a few steps over to the big picture window, watching Trish smoke a cigarette with her back to them. As Leah approached them, Hardy turned to her. "When did the message come in?"

"About an hour ago," Leah responded, looking at him. "I told her to call you."

Ellie caught Leah's gaze. "You did the right thing."

Earlier that night, analysis came through on Trish's wounds, the clothes and bedding that had been collected. There was a terrifying amount of similarities to the previous two victims, one in a coma and the other dead. Traces of the same blue twine had been found in Trish's wrist wounds just like the previous two victims. Cloth fibers in her mouth swab matched those found on the others. The rapist had used a condom, but there had been male DNA from the vaginal swab, and even though Ellie and Alec didn't have a match yet, they both soon realized Trish hadn't been completely honest.

"Trish, do you think this message is from someone you know?" Ellie asked.

Trish shuddered, looking desperate and lost. "No," she finally replied.

Ellie managed an empathetic smile. She couldn't fathom what this woman had lived through, survived, but she knew the anxiety well.

To her relief, Alec leaned forward and said, "Trish, did you have sex with anyone before the attack?" He cocked his head in hope that he could glean some sort of confirmation from Trish's eyes. She nodded back at him, and Alec asked, "Would you be willing to tell us who it was?"

Trish's eyes filled with tears, her breathing suddenly heavy. She glanced over to Ellie, then back at Alec, and shook her head a little. "It happened before, it's not relevant."

He continued, worried they weren't going to get any information out of her, "We're probably going to retrieve DNA from your bed sheets anyway. It's quicker if you tell us."

Trish started shaking, her face hardened and her eyes flared in anger. "It's not him."

"Does he have your phone number?" Ellie asked.

Trish nodded.

"Well, it could be from the man you slept with."

"It's not him," Trish replied, anger spreading through the rest of her face, "I'm not talking about him."

Alec raised his hand, conceding. "We will find the man who attacked you, Trish. We will find whoever it was sent the anonymous message. But it'll take longer without your full cooperation."

"I'm not telling you who I slept with." Trish turned, and walked back toward the house.

* * *

The road blurred in front of him, and Alec's eyes ached from peering into the darkness. Only a couple of hours of sleep that night, and those riddled with dreams of Daisy locked in a cage, bleeding, crying, begging for help. So far, the investigation had stalled and there had been no leads, but Alec's gut told him that Trish's rape and escape from her captor was connected to Daisy's disappearance. It had to be the same man, or men, who committed both crimes. He pulled the car to the side of the road, a barren stretch of highway at this hour, and dug out his phone. _Maybe there's something else in that photograph I'm missing_ , he thought.

Ellie, undisturbed in her sleep by the car's sudden halt, continued to doze heavily.

He opened the offending email, scrolled down and tapped the candid photo of his daughter, making it full-screen. He moved the photograph, zooming in and out, searching for anything that might hint at the identity of the person who took it, since the perp was clever enough to keep their head down and covered so CCTV was no use at all. At least, that's what Ellie had told him.

There.

In the corner reflection of the window of what could have been the café where the girls had taken lunch, a reflection of a face not completely obscured by the phone used to take the photo appeared. Alec zoomed in further, immediately recognizing the bald head and scowl.

Joe _bloody_ Miller.

He immediately cropped the photo and emailed it straight to Jenkinson, before waking Ellie.

He shook her gently at first, receiving a mumbled "What!" as her reply.

"Look at me El," Alec choked out, "I need you to look at me."

In a huff, Ellie sat upright and turned her body to face her partner. She sleepily glanced around, slowly realizing they were stopped in the middle of nowhere. "Why have we stopped?"

"I needed a break," Alec sighed. He turned his body to face her. "Look, I have to tell you something and I don't think you're gonna like it."

Ellie's breath hitched in her chest. "What's going on, Hardy?"

He handed her his phone, open to the picture of Daisy. He pointed to a corner of the photograph and said, "Zoom it in."

Ellie took the phone and zoomed the photograph, and the more the picture magnified, the more her face fell. Finally, she whispered, trembling, "It's Joe."

* * *

They arrived back at Ellie's office in time to catch Jenkinson, who denied Ellie and Alec their request to treat Trish's rape as connected to Daisy's case, and immediately warned them off involving themselves due to the obvious involvement by Joe. "But," Jenkinson said, "if it turns out that you solve these rapes and that as well, there's not much I can say, is there? In the meantime, I'll inform Washbourne and we'll put out a statement to your friend Maggie at the Echo. Maybe someone saw something, and we are quickly closing in on the time where we may no longer be looking for her alive."

Alec's heart stopped.

"Alec," Jenkison's soothing voice continued as she turned to face him and placed a knowing hand on his arm, "you know the reality of these cases. You know we only have another two days at most before this monster will do something terrible to her. Solve those rape cases, and if they're connected to your daughter's disappearance, you'll find her too. But I'm going to warn you now, because Joe Miller is involved, if you find her, you'll call us in first. Neither of you is going to bollock this up. Got it?"

They both nodded their agreement. Ellie made a beeline for her office to retrieve a bag to put Trish's phone into evidence and Alec headed into the canteen for some tea. Once Ellie'd gotten the bag, she put the phone in and headed into the canteen to meet up with Hardy, commenting in the disgusting stewed tea he was about to drink.

Alec's mind didn't even register, he was focused and ready to end this, get his daughter back, and move on with their lives. "Do you think she knew her attacker?"

"No," Ellie replied, "Honestly I think there's a connection between these attacks, but I think the victims were selected by chance. I don't think this text is related. We should check just to be sure."

Several hours, four pots of coffee and three energy drinks later, they'd discovered that yes, the text was unrelated, and although Trish and her ex-husband had a row that night his girlfriend provided an alibi. They'd interviewed her boss, who, as it turns out was bordering on obsessed but claimed he was in love with her. So far, none of their suspects really grabbed their attention, and although Trish's mate's husband turned out to be their "mystery DNA depositor", it was not likely given his romp with a waitress during the time Trish was attacked.

There was one more lead to follow, and Ellie was packing up to head to the manufacturer of the blue twine found in all the victim's wrist wounds.

"Want me to come with you?" Alec asked, leaning against the door frame into Ellie's office holding a takeaway cup of coffee out to Ellie.

She took it, and slung her back crossways across her chest. "I've got it, just going to get some samples to compare. My boys are with their grandfather, if you want to meet up at your place we can go over what we have so far after I'm back."

"It's getting' late, Miller, you sure you want to do this now?"

Yeah, Ill be an hour so go get some rest, and I'll text you when I'm on my way." Ellie waved him off and headed out the door to her car.

Within a few minutes, she arrived at her destination, an old wooden building with a fading paint job and too many dark corners for Ellie's liking. She strode across the cement floor, headed to the office where the owner's son, Leo, had agreed to meet her.

As she approached the door, Ellie found it slightly ajar, light pouring out into the dark hall. She approached, knocked twice, and called out, "Leo?"

The door opened easily to her touch. Aside from a desk, a chair, and several Playboy magazines, the room was unexpectedly empty.

A creaking board behind her grabbed Ellie's attention and she turned, only to feel the blow of something hard crack across the back of her skull. She felt the world spin, and then she was on the floor, fighting for consciousness.

Muffled words faded in and out, her attacker fuzzy and standing over her. She could make out bits of his conversation. He was on the phone saying, "Yeah, I've got her." And then "Nobody knows she's here, mate, she came alone. You can do whatever you like, nobody will know."

Finally, Ellie gave in to the swirling world and slipped away.


	7. Chapter 7

Alec awoke with a start, his vibrating phone bouncing around on the side table like a jumping bean. He snagged it, looking at the screen, but it wasn't Ellie. It was her father.

"Hullo?"

"Hardy, have you seen my daughter?"

Alec pinched the bridge of his nose, forcing his mind to remember when Ellie left her office. "Ah, she left to check out a lead at half-past six. Said she'd let me know when she was heading in so we could go over her notes." Alec's stomach suddenly tied up in knots. "Why? What time is it?"

Ellie's father was trying to restrain his voice, Alec could tell. Their shared dread crept into his pores. "It's gone midnight."

Alec checked his mobile, and found no messages, calls, or texts from Ellie. "I know where she was going. Call in to the station, ask them to transfer you to DI Washbourne. He's on tonight. Tell him Ellie went to the manufacturer of the blue twine, and I'm going now after her to check it out. Say she's missing. Have him send back up," Alec rambled. He took a breath, deep and calming. "And whatever you do, don't tell the boys and don't open the door for anyone. Especially Joe."

Ellie's father held his breath. "Joe?"

"Yeah, he's back."

Alec threw on his suit jacket and grabbed his keys, forcing down the bile threatening to rise in his throat. _I'm not gonna lose her too_ , he told himself, _not now, not ever._ His body triggered in the adrenaline rush of a lifetime, and he flung himself through the front door, down the hill to his waiting car, ground out the transmission and took off, blue lights flashing.

A thousand scenarios skipped into his mind on the 20-minute drive. Ellie lying dead somewhere. Or bleeding and crying for help. Or the sick son of a bitch that took Daisy is holding them both hostage, beating them, breaking them, killing them slowly. Just to spite him.

When he pulled in through the gate, he could see Ellie's car parked, half-hidden in the loading dock. It was obvious the person responsible had stashed his haphazardly, planning to come back for it later. How much later, though? Alec ducked into the building through the open loading dock door, ready for literally anything. He stood with his back to the wall, checking inside Ellie's car, but there was no evidence of a struggle. _She made it into the building at least._ Alec took a moment, fighting off the fear quickly growing inside him. He slowly and silently stalked through the warehouse, looking for a sign. Then he spotted it, blood on the concrete floor outside that little shit Leo's office. He made his way around the puddle on the floor, elbowing open the door to the office, and reached into his pocket for rubber gloves.

He approached the bank of screens and went back several hours, bringing up the CCTV footage. He watched Ellie enter the building, make her way through the darkened building, and stop at the office door. She called out for Leo Humphries. Then she pushed open the door, and light slowly crept across her face. The look of terror that flicked through her countenance was too much for Alec to bear. _She knew_ , he thought, _she knew something was coming_.

A creaking noise off camera drew her attention, and when she turned to investigate, out of the corner a cricket bat darted into the light, catching Ellie flat on the back of her head. She crumpled to the floor, moaning. Her attacker stepped out of the shadows.

"You stupid bitch, couldn't leave well enough alone. Oh well, at least I'll get some time with you. Before he has his turn, anyway." Leo Humphries sneered, bending down to look at Ellie in the face. His mobile rang, and he answered, "Yeah, I've got her. Come to my place." There was a pause. "Nobody knows she's here, mate, she came alone. You can do whatever you like, nobody will know." Another pause, the person on the other line talking. No, I'll bring her to the house and before anyone knows she's gone I'll come back, take care of the cameras and get rid of her car. Nobody will think to look for a body in a burned-out Fiat."

On the tape, Leo bent down and started tying Ellie's hands. Her body was limp, but Alec could tell she was breathing. When he started unbuttoning Ellie's top and removing her trousers, Alec stopped the tape. He made a quick copy and slipped the disc into his breast pocket, stumbling through the motions robotically. Alec found his way back through the loading dock just as DI Washbourne and four other officers arrived. The rookie DI ran up to Alec, running his fingers through his cropped blonde hair. Alec couldn't focus on him , just leaned back against the wall, trying to regulate his breathing, hoping the burning in his chest would stop.

"Hardy, what did you find?" Washbourne asked, grabbing Alec's upper arm to keep him from falling over. He turned, signaling the other offers to secure the area. Alec reached into the breast pocket of his jacket and handed the footage over to the DI.

His voice wouldn't come right away, Alec had to clear his throat just to speak a few words. "He got her." Alec's eyes bore into Washbourne's, trying to convey the seriousness of the situation. "Leo Humphries has Miller, its all there. Blood outside the office. He said over the phone he was taking her to his place to meet up with someone. I think it's Joe Miller."

"You're in shock, let's sit down and discuss this…"

Then the fire inside Alec that was struggling to stay lit suddenly roared to life, "For fucks sake, an officer has been assaulted and raped. We know where she is. I'm going and I don't bloody care if you're coming along." Alec pushed the other man out of the way, storming to his car. Washbourne grabbed a uniformed officer and instructed him to send backup to the home of Leo Humphries, and to come prepared for a standoff, and send EMS as well. He hopped into the passenger seat of Alec Hardy's car, and Alec, who glanced his way with an eyebrow raised, nodded his acceptance.

They tore out of the lot, on a race against time, and Alec Hardy would do anything to get them back, alive if at all possible.

* * *

Ellie awoke to the feeling of someone wiping a soft cloth against her face. "El?" It was the voice of a young girl. "Wake up, Ellie, please."

Ellie sat up, immediately leaning back against metal bars, her head pounding. She tried to focus on the face in front of her.

"Daisy?"

"Yeah."

Ellie swept her up in a tight hug. "God, girl we've gone through hell trying to find you! Are you ok? Did he hurt you?"

Daisy shook her head. "Not really, he cut my arm open, saying he was gonna use the blood to give my Dad a message. But that's it."

"He didn't…"

"No," Daisy stoically replied, "But he made me watch him do it to her." She pointed to another cage across the room. The woman in the cage was tied with her hands behind her back, hung by a sheet attached to the ceiling beam.

Ellie followed Daisy's gaze and found the black and purple face of…

"Trish. He found her."

Daisy nodded. "He dragged her in here kicking and screaming hours ago. Started doing things to her. Told me if I made any noise I was next, and he'd make my dad watch." She shuddered, and tears streamed down her face. "Oh my God, Ellie, I should have stopped him," she whispered.

All Ellie could do to stop herself from shrieking out into the dark was wrap her arms around Daisy even tighter. She tried to reassure her companion with a smile, "Your dad's stubborn. He'll find us. In the meantime, we need to figure out a way to get out of here."

"Well, they left fifteen minutes or so ago, I heard them talking about getting something to eat. They usually leave this time of night and are gone for about two hours, I think. I recognize the sound of the shipping yard, there's a ship that docks around midnight and they blow their horn. I can watch them from my window at Dad's. Then when they're done, around two hours later, they blow the horn again. The second horn hasn't gone off yet."

Ellie's heart swelled. This girl was so remarkable and completely the daughter of two coppers. Never misses an ounce of detail, Ellie couldn't be prouder.

Ellie reached around he bars and felt the door. The lock was the kind she used on her storage shed, and if Ellie's time as a juvenile delinquent was going to be of any use in her adult life, this would be the opportunity. She pulled a pin from her hair and set to work.

"What are you doing?" Daisy leaned over Ellie's shoulder to watch.

"I was a bit of trouble as a youth, and you never forget how to pick a lock."

Within a few minutes, Ellie had the lock open and off the door. She climbed out of the cage and waved Daisy to follow, placing her finger over Daisy's lips to signify silence. Ellie climbed the steps to exit the room, which looked to be the root cellar of a very old cottage. She turned the knob to the door, and it opened easily. Ellie poked her head out, and not seeing any light, or their captors, Ellie grabbed Daisy by the hand and pulled her though the kitchen, into the hall, and out into the entryway. She pushed Daisy in front just as flashing blue lights filled the room. Daisy turned to smile at Ellie, but the smile dropped, the color from Daisy's face drained, and she screamed. Ellie turned and there, standing directly behind her, stood her ex-husband.

"If I can't have you, no one will," he whispered into her ear. Joe grabbed Ellie's shoulder and rammed a long-bladed hunting knife into Ellie's belly, three times. Each time, the smile on his face grew more maniacal and satisfied with himself. She pushed him away, and as he lunged to stab her a fourth time, Ellie calculated the risk and forced her quickly numbing arms to slap the sides of his head, then forced his nose to connect with her knee.

She turned to Daisy, holding the wounds in her abdomen. She panted, "Run."

Daisy threw open the door and made a mad dash for the first officer in sight, who bolted toward her, scooped her up and buried his face in her hair.

"Oh my God, Daze, I'm so glad you're alright," Hardy sobbed into Daisy's shoulder.

"Dad, put me down!" Daisy demanded.

Hardy put her onto her feet as EMS arrived and helped her onto the cot. He started to object, then Daisy yelled, "Dad!" and he stopped talking. She looked at him, tears filling her eyes. "Ellie's in there. She saved me."


	8. Chapter 8

As far as Alec Hardy was concerned, the hospital staff was a Godsend. They didn't argue when he insisted that Daisy and Ellie share a recovery room. The nurses sat with him while he waited for Daisy to come out of surgery, the cut to her arm was deep and required reconstruction. They didn't fight when he complained that it was taking too long. They reassured him every time he asked after Ellie, who had also been rushed into surgery to repair the three stab wounds and severe internal bleeding from the rape she'd suffered at the hands of Leo Humphries.

Alec wished he could be there to interrogate that monster, or even better, Joe Miller, the sick fuck who had planned the whole ordeal with the boy he'd groomed before anyone knew anything about Daniel Latimer's murder. He wanted to squeeze the life from both of them, watch as their cruel sneers faded and their bodies went lax. As he had said to Ellie so many times, anyone is capable of murder under the right circumstances. These were Alec's, and it relieved him to know that DI Washbourne and his DS, Hartford, were heading up the interrogations. No way Joe would get away with it this time, and the video evidence was enough to put Leo away for good.

So when he heard his name asked in a small voice, so terrified and so feeble, Alec jumped to his feet, facing the young man that Tom Miller had grown into with the countenance of that small boy who just learned he'd never see his father again. Tom's eyes, red rimmed and puffy, studied Alec's face for any sign of his mother's well-being. Alec reached forward and drew the boy into a tight squeeze, and once contact was made, Tom's feigned bravery fell and he drooped into Alec's arms, sobbing like that little boy did so long ago.

"It's alright, Tom, your mum's gonna be alright."

Fred found his way over to them, and hugged Hardy's leg. Alec broke off the embrace with a pat on Tom's back and reached down to pick up the curly-haired five-year-old. "Is my mum sick, Uncle Alec?" Fred clutched his stuffed bear to his chest, as if the gift from his mother was his last lifeline to her.

"She's in the surgery, wee Fred. The doctors are gonna try to fix her up, then we can go see your mum and Daisy."

Alec sat on the hard bench in the family room, freeing Fred to play with the toys. On one side of him, Tom sat down, then his grandfather followed. They waited in virtual silence, with Fred running back to sit on his grandfather's lap, or Hardy's, or back to the toys, for an hour.

Soon a knock on the door startled all of them.

A doctor with floppy blown hair, a big chin, and wearing, of all things, a bow-tie stepped into the room. He had the kind of smile on his face that reminded Alec of Ellie, and he wanted to punch it right off the man's face. At least, that was, until the doctor spoke.

"Mr. Hardy, I'm Doctor Smith, Head Surgeon. Just wanted to update you on your daughter's condition."

Hardy stood and nodded.

"Daisy's arm had a lot of damage to the skin and muscle tissue, but thankfully there was little in the way of nerve damage and no damage at all to the radial artery. With some physical therapy she will recover well. There was no sign of sexual assault that we found, but she's got a sprain on her left wrist and multiple hairline fractures in the bones in her hand. It looks like she fought back. So, she's going to be in two braces for her hands and wrist for the next six weeks. Considering the damage to her arm, we'd like to keep her here a few days for intravenous antibiotics before you take her home."

"Thank you, Doctor," Alec replied, "Have you any news on my partner, Ellie Miller?"

"Well, I'll need to discuss it with her family."

"He is family," Tom injected, coming to stand at Hardy's side. "He's got as much right to know as the rest of us." Alec and Tom shared a look, and Tom gave him a knowing smile.

"Well," continued Doctor Smith, "Mrs. Miller is going to have a long road ahead of her, if she wakes up. We could stop the internal bleeding and thankfully her wounds will heal. The head wound is severe, and she lost a lot of blood. The next 48 hours are critical."

Alec shook the doctor's hand, thanking him. Doctor Smith led Alec, Ellie's boys and her father down a long corridor, and they were shown into a room where Daisy sat in a chair next to Ellie's bed, holding her hand. At the sight of her father, Daisy stood and wrapped her arms around his waist. "She saved my life, Dad."

Ellie's face was bruised and littered with small cuts, a bandage covered the back of her head. She was motionless, on a breathing tube that stuck out of her mouth, the machines beeping along with her heartbeat and helping her breathe. Alec's heart sunk into his stomach, he was half-expecting to be greeted by Ellie's endless, irritatingly beautiful smile. Alec found another chair for Ellie's father and Fred, Tom helped Daisy sit on the edge of her bed and helped himself to sit next to her, that left the chair right next to Ellie for Alec. He sat down, and took her hand. It was so cold.

He knew he was losing his composure, and fought back against the tears threatening to spill _. I must stay strong_ , he told himself, _do it for them. They need you to be strong._

Daisy whispered into Tom's ear and he nodded. She reached out to rest her hand on her father's shoulder. "Dad?"

"Yes, Daze?" He wouldn't take his eyes off his hands wrapped around Ellie's.

"Erm, I think Tom and I are going to take Fred down to the canteen for a snack. Want me to bring you anything?"

Daisy could tell her father was trying to keep his voice level, and he only replied, "Thanks, but I'm alright," as he dug into his jacket for a wad of bills and handed it to her. "Get anything you want sweetheart. You deserve it."

Daisy handed off the money to Tom and threw her free arm around her father's shoulders. "I love you, Dad."

He smiled, stood and took her in his arms. "I love you too, darlin, and I'm so happy you're safe."

Ellie's father cleared his throat. "Uhm, I think I'll come along with you, help mind Fred. Could use a coffee."

Tom nodded, took Fred's hand and Daisy's IV cart in the other, and followed her out of the room. Ellie's father followed close behind.

Alec Hardy was alone with his thoughts.

He took his seat in the chair once again and for a few minutes, held Ellie's hand in silence. He leaned onto the edge of the bed, cupping the hand in both of his, pressing his lips against her cool skin. Waves of guilt beat against his heart, threatening to drown him in tears that he found forming behind his eyelid, forcing their way down his pallid cheeks. His breaths shuddered. Soon enough, those tears flowed freely, plentifully, and Alec Hardy was forced to face a fact he always thought he could bury deep down inside.

He loved her.

He loved the way she always seemed cheerful, that obnoxious way she liked to steal his food and even more obnoxiously, argue with him. He loved that she called him names and kept him on his toes. He loved that she could follow him in a line of questioning or on a lead and it was as if she read his thoughts. He loved the tingling sensation that occurred when their skin brushed, even for a second. He loved that they could be in the same space and be completely comfortable in it, even in silence. And if this was going to be his last chance, his last shot to share it with her, Alec Hardy would say it.

He bowed his head, resting his forehead on the tops of Ellie's fingers.

"I know you're probably not going to hear this, but I have to say something. This may be my last chance to tell you… everything." He sighed, "I've loved you since the day you showed up in my hospital room after my heart surgery. I knew it then and I made myself bury it. I wanted to just be happy as your friend. But… I can't. You're the reason Broadchurch is home. I brought Daisy here to start over because I wanted her to find what I found… you. You're a light in the lives of everyone around you. You keep me going and fight with me when I'm being stubborn and stupid and you just never, never give up. God, I wish you'd just tell me I'm being an idiot right now so I can shut up. But I've kept it locked up so long. I just… I love you, Ell."

He felt the sensation of someone moving the hair from his forehead, and Alec glanced up.

Those deep brown eyes, soft and rimmed in red, tears dancing around the edges, watched him carefully. She made a motion, for something to write with, and Alec reached into his jacket for the pen and pad he used to take notes. He put the pen in her hand, held the pad of paper for her, and after a few wavering strokes she turned it around so Alec could read it too.

 **I love you.**


	9. Chapter 9

Much like the Grinch, Alec Hardy's heart grew three sizes. Or five. He couldn't be sure. But for the first time in a long time, the happiness pouring forth from his soul overwhelmed him, and he beamed down at Ellie. He leaned forward, kissed her forehead, whispering, "I'm going to tell the nurses you're awake."

Her eyes alight, watching his every move, Ellie nodded.

Alec stepped out of the room, closing the door behind him. A nurse approached, and he waved her over. "She's just woken up," he informed her. The nurse nodded, but worry clouded her eyes. Alec studied her. "What's wrong?"

"Had your little boy found his way here?" she asked, wringing her hands.

"I'm sorry?"

"Your older boy and daughter notified the staff downstairs that they couldn't find the little one. He's missing."

Alec's hands jumped into his eyes. "Did EMS bring a man named Joe Miller here?"

The nurse rushed over to the computer bay in the nurse's station and typed in a few keywords. "Yes, he's in room 114, under guard."

Alec's shaking hands slapped the wall next to him. "When the kids and Ellie's father return, tell them to go straight in to the room. Ask them not to say anything to her. I need to check on something."

He ran for the nearest elevator, punching the button repeatedly until it finally opened. His fingers slammed the button for the ground floor, and once the doors opened, Alec sprinted into A&E. PC Bob stood guard outside the room containing Joe Miller.

After a heated argument, Bob allowed Alec entrance to the room. He approached the figure on the bed, covered in a blanket. Alec reached forward, throwing the blanket to the foot of the bed. The dead male nurse had been strangled, his face frozen in wide-eyed fear, and his clothes were missing.

"Bob, get your sorry arse in here!" Alec shouted. Bob threw open the door and stood stock still, stunned into silence.

Alec's fury was only stoked by the revelation of Ellie's true feelings and his confession to her. There was one more fight left, and he was not going to let this murderous psycho take the life of a child after all. Bob was already on the radio, calling in back up and Alec found himself digging in his pockets for the keys to his car. As he ran out of the exit, he saw a woman lying on the ground near an empty parking space, and made a beeline for her.

Thankfully, she came to as he approached, talking about someone hitting her from behind and knocking her out. Alec got the make and model of her car and he made sure she was alright before escorting her into A&E. The manic search for Joe Miller began, and there was only one place Alec was sure Joe would go with a screaming child. He called Washbourne, informing him that he planned to try looking for Joe and Fred at Ellie's. Washbourne agreed to send officers to back Alec up, and they arrived right behind Hardy as he pulled into Ellie's drive. A light was on in Fred's room upstairs.

Alec signaled to the officers to stay far behind, and he approached the front door with careful steps. It opened without issues, and Alec made his way up the stairs. He opened the door to Fred's room, stunned by the sight.

Joe Miller held a sleeping Fred in his arms, and a knife to the boy's throat.

"Come any closer, and I'll do it."

Alec raised his arms. "Joe, don't hurt the boy, please."

Joe pointed the knife at Alec. "Tell your boys to get back."

Alec waved the other officers off, and two more cars pulled in, lights flashing. Joe was momentarily distracted and stared at the lights through the window. Alec took advantage and rushed him, knocking Fred from Joe's arms, snatching the startled child from the floor and backing out through the doorway.

Joe glared at Hardy, and without saying a word, raised the knife to his throat, slicing his jugular wide open.

One of the other officers rushed forward, pulling the knife from Joe's hand, and grabbing the blanket from Fred's bed attempted to hold off the bleeding. The other officer radioed in for EMS, and Alec clutched little Fred's shivering body to his own, carrying the boy down the stairs and out to his car. DI Washbourne ran up to them, carrying a blanket and a stuffed dinosaur for Fred.

Alec gave him a puzzled glance, and as Washbourne covered Fred with the blanket he shrugged and stated, "My little boy makes me keep them in my car for good luck. Guess they came in handy. Want to tell me what happened?"

"Joe Miller escaped dressed as the nurse he murdered, took Fred from the canteen at the hospital without anyone knowing, stole a car, and brought Fred here. He would have killed himself and the boy."

"How did you know he'd be here?"

Alec shrugged. "It's the only place he felt at home. It makes sense, especially if he knew he'd be caught out."

Washbourne watched as EMS made their way into the house. "Alright, take the boy and go back to the hospital, get him checked out. I'll come by and get statements a little later on. In the meantime," he slapped Alec on the shoulder, "take care of that family of yours. They're pretty special."

"Yeah," Alec breathed, glancing down to Fred, who had fallen asleep in the passenger seat, curled up under the blanket clutching tightly to the stuffed dinosaur. "I sure will."

They never went back in that house. The boys made their home at Alec's until their mum recovered enough to leave hospital, and in secret, Alec, Tom, and Daisy found a place big enough for them all. Ellie couldn't be totally on her own yet, and her wounds would need careful attention, so they talked it out and it was decided that Ellie and her brood would share with Alec and his. It was nearly impossible to contain the surprise, but once movers had cleared Ellie, Tom and Fred's belongings from their old house and move it to the new one, Alec and Daisy took their belongings and set a place for themselves.

The day came to bring Ellie home from the hospital, and after their long nights together talking, recovering, coming to terms with everything, Alec was more than ready. Ellie looked around as they pulled down the street, seeming confused.

Alec reached for her hand. "What's wrong, love?"

"Erm, this doesn't look like my street."

Alec nodded. "I assure you, it is."

"I know what street I live on, thank you." Ellie scowled. "Where are we?"

Alec stopped the car, tapped Ellie on the shoulder, and pointed at a massive blue house hidden behind a row of bushes and a long, gated drive on his side of the street. He turned his body toward her, and took her hand. "The kids and I talked it out. After what happened, Tom and Fred couldn't go back into your old house, so they've been staying with me and Daisy. After awhile, we all got on so well that we had a chat about moving into a bigger place. Together."

"All of us?" Ellie's eyes teared, and she hurriedly brushed them away. "But I can't afford this, and neither can you." She poked his shoulder. "I've seen your books."

Alec's hand found the back of his neck, and rubbed it furiously. "That's the other surprise," he divulged, "Jenkinson is retiring, and she recommended you for her position. You've got the job, if you want it. When you're better."

"You're kidding."

"Not a chance."

"You kept this from me? How long?"

"A couple of weeks, for the house, and the last month for the job."

Ellie slapped his arm. "You're such a knob!"

"Fuck, woman! You hit an awful lot harder than you used to!" Alec rubbed the sore spot on his arm.

Ellie pouted, arms crossed. "You're lucky I don't piss in a cup and throw it at your head."

"Aw, come on now, you wouldn't do that," he pleaded, wrapping an arm over her shoulders.

"And why wouldn't I?"

"You love me."

Ellie sighed, leaned toward him and planted a soft kiss on Alec's lips. "You're lucky I do."


	10. Epilogue

"I can't believe this is Vicar Coates' last day."

Tom straightened his tie in the mirror, watching Alec Hardy with one eye. "Yeah, well people haven't been exactly good to him here."

Alec rolled his eyes, "You have to admit, there was a time when he kind of deserved it, taking up with the girl at the inn, acting like a young lad with a crush. Shirking his duties. It was all very suspicious." He fixed his tie before sliding into his suit jacket. "Let me take a look at you, boy."

Tom turned and shrugged, "Well? Is mum going to be happy with it?"

Alec readjusted Tom's tie, snagged the black suit jacket off the back of the armchair and handed it to Tom. "She'll be proud."

Tom smiled, pulling the jacket over his arms. "Good, that's what I'm going for."

As Tom turned to walk out of the small room, Alec grabbed his arm, "Hang on," he said, brushing his tie and jacket with his hands and standing up straight, "What about me?"

Tom shook his head, chuckling. "Yeah, Dad, mum's gonna be a puddle on the floor seeing you in your dress."

"Oi, where did you learn that? And it's NOT a dress, it's a kilt. God, what shite has your mother been putting into your head? All that cheek!"

Tom slapped Alec on the shoulder with a snicker, pulling the door open, and the two exited into the hall.

Meanwhile, Ellie and Daisy fought with Fred over his shoes. With a scream, Fred kicked one into the air. "No, Mum, I hate those shoes! I wanna dress like Da!"

"Sorry, Fred, this is what you chose, this is what you'll wear," Ellie chided, retrieving the thrown shoe.

Fred crossed his arms, pouting.

Daisy laughed, "He looks just like you when you and Dad get into it!"

Ellie crouched back down to the floor, smoothing the lines of her cocktail dress, and pointed the shoe in Daisy's direction. "I'll have none of that sass from you, young lady."

"Come on, you have to admit, it's pretty funny."

"It'll be funnier once his shoes are on. Give me a hand?"

Daisy walked over to Ellie, handed Fred a jelly baby, and quickly slipped on his shoe, tying it before Fred realized what happened. Ellie stared at her, stunned. Daisy shrugged. "He's seven."

The church filled quickly, and everyone in Broadchurch seemed to turn out for Paul Coates' final service. He passed Alec and Tom from the rectory, nodding at them as he went, and they followed him to the front of the church.

The organist began playing "Kissing You" from Ellie's favorite 90s movie, Romeo and Juliet. That was the signal for Daisy to take Fred's hand, and lead him into the church. He watched Daisy's steps and followed her slow gait, taking extra effort to hold the pillow in his hands just so, as the rings it held were so very special to his mum and dad. When he approached the front, he dashed over to Alec, and motioned for him to lean down. "How was I?" he asked.

"Brilliant," Alec replied with a smile.

Then little Lizzie, Beth and Mark's youngest, danced down the aisle, dropping pink rose petals all along her way. Once she reached the front, she dashed over to her mum, sitting in the front row.

Silhoutetted by the setting sun pouring in through the doors to the church, Ellie stood under the arch at the entrance, head veiled in white lace, her white knee-length cocktail dress clinging to her form, her slightly rounded belly the only inclination of the life that grew inside her, despite all odds and doctor's advice to the contrary. Alec thought she was the most beautiful creature that ever lived.

 _This is my life_ , he thought, _this is my beautiful life_.


End file.
